September 01,2016 Source
There is need for more careful planning by the Ministries of the Government to ensure that annual budgetary allocations can be spent in a timely manner, says President David Granger.
He was at the time responding to questions by members of the media over statements made by Minister of Finance Winston Jordan that only 50% of the 2016 Budget has been utilized thus far.
In his statement, Jordan noted that with the presentation of budget 2017 slated to for December, many officials are said to be amplifying their efforts to increase the level of spending available under this year’s estimates. This, he said, comes as a result of Government’s continuous battle with existing items which have hindered the smooth functioning of many agencies.
Offering a response to this, President Granger highlighted plans to establish planning units at all Ministries in preparation for 2017 financial year, however, he was quick to note that the establishment of such units does not mean that the Ministries are incompetent or inefficient in carrying out their respective duties.
“We are aware of the issue and we have made a decision; you would have heard me speaking at the National Toshaos Conference that we should create planning units in all of the Ministries and this is being done in preparation for the financial year 2017 budget. There needs to be more careful planning so that the budgetary allocations can be spent in a timely manner, it’s a question of planning, not incompetence or inefficiencies,” Granger said.
He also underscored the need for an expansion of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), saying, “This morning we had a meeting of the Guyana Defence Board and we looked at the need to have a stronger national procurement and tender administration because all 15 Ministries use a single board and the board obviously needs to be expanded or given the capability to do more work.”
“There is a bottleneck, there is no question of Governmental incompetence; there is a bottleneck and we are solving the problem in two ways, one the establishment of planning units and two, the broadening of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board,” the President added.
Moving forward, Granger noted that by the end of the year, he expects things at the NPTAB, will see a smoother flow. “It’s a bit late for 2016 but the Ministries are aware of the bottlenecks and we are working to clear those bottlenecks,” he added.
During the opening ceremony of the National Toshaos Council’s (NTC) 10th annual conference, Granger in his remarks recommended the establishment of a five-member planning authority to oversee, monitor and implement the decisions made by the NTC as a means of offering support to the Indigenous body in carrying out its mandate.
